Car-coupling



(No Model.) Z-Sheets-Sheet 1. L. H. SHULAR.

GAR COUPLING.

N0. 328,259. Patented Oct. 13, 1885.

INYENTOR BY Mu/m4 WITNESSES ATTORNEYS.

N) PETERS. Fhnlo-Lithogupher. walhingian. D. C.

(No Model.) 2 Shams-Sheet 2.

L. H. SHULA R.

GAR COUPLING.

No. 328,259. Patented Oct. 13, 1885-.

WITNESSES INVENTOR ozfiw I $415M BY ATTORNEYS;

N PETERS, mnmum npw, Wnhingtan. n. c

UN TED STATES PATENT OFFIQE.

LEWIS H. SHULAB, or CBAWFORDSVILLE, INDIANA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 328,259, dated October 13, 1885. Application filed March 24, 1885, Serial No. 160,010. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS H. SHULAR, of Orawfordsville, in the county of Montgomery and State of Indiana, have invented a new and Improved Gar-Coupling, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to car-couplings; and has for its object to facilitate the coupling of cars without requiring the trainnien to stand between them and expose themselves to inury.

The invention consists in various novel constructions and combinations of parts of the car-coupling, as hereinafter fully described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical sectional elevation of my improved car-coupling with the link held in it. Fig. 2 is alike view with the parts in position for uncoupling or to prevent coupling, and with the link shown partly in dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the coupling. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the end of a box freight-car with my improved coupling applied to it; and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the lock-bar and lifter of the coupling-link.

The letter A indicates the draw-head of the coupling, and A its draw-bar, which bar is or may be fitted with suitable guides, heads, and buffer-springs in the car-frame to ease the shock in coupling the cars, and the forward end of the draw-head rests on a bent supporting-plate, A, in which the draw-head has necessary side play as the car rounds curves either way.

The letter B indicates the main link-holding bar, which is pivoted at b, and preferably between centering collars or nuts, I) b, in the opening a of the draw-head A, and has a hookhead, B, at its forward end, said hook having an inclined forward face, If, up which the end of the coupling-link D rides to drop behind the hook B. Over the main link-bar B is pivoted, at c, to the draw-head the lock-bar and lifter C of the coupling-link.

At E is shown a plate-spring, which has a bend at e, which rests on a pin, F, crossing the opening a, and the extreme bent end 6 of the spring locks under a shoulder, 6, formed in the draw-head. The spring E projects forward beneath the main coupling-bar B, and may have lips, as at 6 at each side of the bar, the spring acting to hold the bar B up toward or against the lock-bar O.

A link, G, pivotally connects the back end of bar 0 with the bar B just back of its center, and the forward end of the bar 0 is curved upward and flattened in plate form, as at O,

to bear on the top of the back end of the coupling-link D, and the plate 0 has an opening, 0, into which the point of the hook B is adapted to enter when the link is coupled in or to the draw-head, as in Fig. 1.

To the opposite sides of the bar 0, nearits forward end, are fixed the pair of fingers H H, which project forward so as to stand one at each side of the bar B and its head B, sufficient space being left between the horizontal parts h of fingers H H and the plate 0 of bar 0 to give room for the end (1 of the couplinglink D to enter and have free play. The fingers H H act as lifters to raise the link over the top of the hook B in uncoupling the cars, as presently explained. The forward ends, h, of the fingers H are inclined downward and forward, so as to stand below or within the line of the face I) of the head B of bar B when the coupling-bars are separated to uncouple the cars or remove the link. (See Fig. 2.)

The letters I I indicate a pair of levers, which are pivoted on a pin, 2', to the bar 13- one at each side of the bar-and the back ends of levers I I are connected pivotally by links J J with a pin, K, to which is connected by its eye Z or otherwise the forward end of a spring, L, the rear end of which is fixed at Z to the back end of bar 0. The spring L acts to press the back end of levers I I downward and raise their forward ends, and said forward ends are curved upward, forward, and downward, as at 2" vi.

The rounding top faces of parts i stand about in line horizontally with the lower face of the end plate, of bar 0 at each side of the bar B, and the extremities of parts i will stand slightly behind the face I) of hook B, so that the entering link D will strike only the face I) of the hook and will ride up the hook until it strikes beneath the upturned end of plate 0 of bar 0, and as the link advancesits end d will force the bars B G apart at their forward ends and against the tension of the spring E, and when the link end (I passes the hook B the spring will force the hook upward into the opening 0 of bar 0 to automatically couple the cars.

It is not essentialsinipl y to effect the couplingthat the hook B enter an opening, as at c, in the bar 0, as the top of the hook may con tact or stand. near the under face of the plate 0 of the bar 0, so as to confine the end (I of the link behind the hook.

As the link G will be carried downward when the hook-bar B is lowered, the forward end 0 of the bar 0 will belifted somewhat, as shown in Fig. 2.

It is evident that when the link D is caught and held by the hook the opposite rounding parts 73 z" of the levers I I will hold the link against the plate 0, the parts ii being forced upward by the spring L with sufficient power to hold the link at or about a horizontal position, so that its outer end, d, may enter the draw-head of the car to be coupled on, and the link may be held yieldingly by the power of the spring on the levers, so that the outer ends, d, of the link may be depressed or raised more or less to suit the height of the opposing draw-head, the parts I I, J J, and connected spring L thus serving as a lower support to the link.

For uncoupling the cars, I provide a lever, M, which is pivoted at m to the draw-head and ranging toward one side of the car. (See Fig. 4.) The lever M is connected by a link, N,with the forward part of the bar B, so that by operating the lever the bar B and its book head B may be 1owered,and the lever may be set beneath the catch 0 on a bar, 0, fixed to the draw-head for holding the hook-head B down.

As the bar B is lowered,the link-supporting lever-heads z" i will also be lowered from the face of the hook B, and the forward end of bar 0 will be raised, so that the fingers H H will lift the end (Z of the link above the hook,which will allow the cars to be drawn apart, as will be understood from Fig. 2, and with the parts locked in this position by the catch-bar O the car will not couple to the link of another car, as sometimes is required in switching cars onto sidings or in making up trains.

An important feature of my invention is g the facility afforded for adjusting the outer end, d, of the link to any required height for entering an opposite draw-head, which adjustment is effected by lowering the lever M slightly from the position indicated in Fig. 1, which draws the ends 2" t" of levers I I down more or less to allow the outer end of the link to fall to the necessary position, and this explains why I prefer to have the hook B extend through the opening 0 of the plate G, as when the hook is lowered to adjust the link thelink will not be allowed to slip over the top of the hook.

It is obvious that the parts I I J J L thus form both a link-support and link-adjuster.

I show the coupling attached to an ordinary box freight-car, I but it may be used on any other style of car, if desired 5 and, if preferred, two levers, M, may be arranged to connect with the coupling-bar B and project one to- Ward each side of the car to operate the coupling from either side of the train.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a car-coupling, the combination, with the draw-head A, having an opening, a, of the coupling-bars B G and spring E, said bar B being pivoted at b to the draw-head and having a hook-head, B, and the bar 0 being pivoted to the draw-head at 0, and the links G, connecting bars B O, substantially as herein set forth.

2. In a car-coupling, the combination, with the draw-head A, of the coupling-bars B O, pivoted thereto and connected by links G, substantially as specified, and said bar 0 having an aperture, 0, into which the hook B enters, substantially as herein set forth.

3. In a car-coupling, the combination, with the draw-head A, of the coupling-bars B C, pivoted thereto, substantially as specified, said bar B having a hook-head, B, and bar 0 having fingers H H, substantially as herein set forth.

4. In a car-coupling, the combination, with the draw-head A and coupling-bars B O, pivoted thereto and connected by links G, and said bar B having a hook, B, of the link-supporting levers I I, pivoted to bar B and having forward ends, 13" i, and a spring forcing the ends 2' 1" against the link confined by the hook B, substantially as herein set forth.

5. In a car-coupling, the combination, with the draw-head A and coupling-bars B G, pivoted thereto and connected by links G, and said bar B having a hook, B, and the levers I I, pivoted to bar B and having forward ends, i 13, standing beneath the entered link, substantially as specified, of the links J J and spring L, substantially as herein set forth.

6. In a car-coupling, the combination, with the draw-head A and coupling-bars B O, pivoted thereto and connected by links G, said bar B having a hook, B, and bar 0 having an upwardly-curved end, 0, provided with an aperture, 0, of the levers I I, pivoted to the bar B, and having curved ends 2" i standing beneath the entered links, and the links- J J and spring L, substantially as herein set forth.

7. In a car-coupling, the combination, with the draw-head A, coupling-bars B C, fingers toward bar 0, substantially as specified, of

H, and spring E, constructed and arranged the lever M, connected tc bar B, substantially IO substantially as specified, of the lever M, conas herein set forth. nected to bar B, and the catch-bar O, substan- 5 tially as herein set forth. l

8. In a car-coupling, the combination, with Witnesses:

the draw-head A, coupling-bars B O, fingers HENRY BENHAM, H, spring E, and levers I, pressed by a spring PASGHAL WILKINSON.

LEWIS H. SHULAR. 

